|
Yes, today we had our first
lesson, which was pretty fun and easy-going. We had to introduce ourselves
to everyone, telling them our names, where we come from, our hobbies
etc...you know, the usual foreign language oral practise. Even though I've
done it so many times, I still find it painfully nerve-racking!
However, we all had to do something far more scary later - attend the
formal opening ceremony, in which we were made to stand up and formally
introduce ourselves to the other foreign students, the teachers and even
the university president! Totemo kowaikatta (very scary!) In Japan, when
you speak formally to someone, you have to use a different, ultra-polite
form of language, called keigo. Those who have ever studied a little
Japanese will know that "My name is Megan" is "watashi no namae wa
Megan desu" and "I come from England" is "Igirisu kara kimashita."
However, while these two expressions are quite polite as they are, they
aren`t polite enough for a formal ceremony. I had to say, "watakushi wa
Megan to moushimasu" and "Igirisu kara mairimashita" instead,
as they are more "humble" expressions that make you sound more polite. Oh,
and of course we all bowed. Everything you ever heard about Japanese
politeness is probably all true!
Dressed up smart for the opening
ceremony: Ian, Richard, Nick, Any, Tom, Ellie, Helen, Me.
And then there were millions of photos as usual. I have to say, I really
find the let's-take-as-many-photos-as-humanly-possible aspect of Japanese
culture very annoying. You'd have thought one would be enough, right? No,
you have to take loads, in different places, with different groups of
people, and at least three times to make sure one comes our alright. It
does get on your nerves after a while. Ah well, I suppose its something
we'll just have to get used to.
One of many random photos the teachers
took. This is what our classroom looks like! People from left
to right: Andy, Helen, Ian, me, a Korean student who I don't know.
After lunch (again an obentou and some yummy dark chocolate rusks). we had
another lesson, and a short grammar, vocab and kanji (Chinese/Japanese
symbols) test. It hit home just how much Japanese I've forgotten since the
university exams! Ah well, hopefully it'll all come back after the first
few weeks!
When we walk to the university from the
Kaikan in a large group, we normally take the back alley route because
there’s more room to walk than on the very narrow pavement by the road.
The back alleys run through a small residential area. Houses in Japan are
very, very different to the ones in England. They really do look
“Japanese” – they have those familiar low oriental roofs like the ones you
see on temples, and they often have a large porch with a few potted
plants. They are very pretty to look at, and also very eclectic: unlike in
an English town, where all the houses are built by the same builders and
therefore look very similar, Japanese houses can be very different to
their neighbours.
Another thing that stands out are the little shrines here and there. Japan
is supposedly not a religious country, yet dotted about the residential
areas are tiny alcoves, often with a statue of a Buddhist deity and an
offering of flowers. Whether such alcoves are kept purely for tradition,
or whether people truly have faith in praying to the shrines, I do not
know. Still, it’s undoubtedly a very elegant tradition that you can
readily see all over Japan.
|
